CEO Blog

This week will witness the inauguration of our 46th president, Joseph R. Biden Jr. The Biden transition team has been navigating the normally delicate transition process made even more complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic and an uncooperative outgoing administration.

The new administration finds itself preparing policy responses to multiple policy crises on day one. While acute policy responses will fill the initial weeks of the administration, there are longer-term aging issues that will need to be considered in the year ahead.

Fortunately, GSA has assembled the work of some top scholars to help illustrate many of these issues in the latest Public Policy & Aging Report (PP&AR), titled “Policy Considerations for a Post-COVID Presidency.”

Read more: Policy Considerations for a Post-COVID Presidency

Happy New Year! If one of your resolutions is to make a positive difference in people’s lives, the first new resource we’ve added to the GSA website in 2021 is an essential tool: COVID-19 vaccine information for older adults.

We recognize that our members are working with older adults and may get questions from family, friends, and colleagues about the COVID-19 vaccine. This fact sheet gives answers to common questions so that GSA members can share accurate information.

Read more: Promote Vaccine Awareness and Change the Course of History

The GSA family begins 2021 mourning the loss of our friend, colleague, role model, and Board Chair Kathryn Hyer, MPP, PhD, FGSA, FAGHE.

Many of you had the opportunity to work with Kathy over her more than 30 years of active involvement in GSA. Kathy served as AGHE treasurer, SRPP Section chair, and member of the GSA Executive Committee. And she had the distinction of serving as the first GSA president under the Society’s new governance model.

Read more: Undaunted: A Tribute to Kathy Hyer

GSA is offering emerging scholars the opportunity to be immersed in aging-related policy development and participate in this process at the national level! We’re now accepting applications for the 2021 cycle of the Greg O’Neill Student Policy Internship, which will be conducted remotely in the summer months. I invite you to apply or help spread the word! The application deadline is January 29.

Read more: GSA’s Policy Internship Will Go Virtual in 2021; Apply Now!

As of January 1, GSA welcomes three new editors-in-chief to its peer-reviewed journals! I extend my congratulations to these successors who are about to embark upon four-year terms, and thank the outgoing editors for their tremendous contributions which have led to the journals’ continued growth as leading journals in the field of gerontology and associated disciplines.

Read more: GSA’s Journals Continue Tradition of Strong Stewardship

To the 4,000+ researchers, clinicians and educators who’ve joined us so far for the GSA Annual Scientific Meeting Online: Thank you for making a difference.

In the middle of a pandemic, the science and insights you presented moved the field forward. You made the meeting a success and paved the way for GSA to host more online conferences for you in the future should the need arise.

The content on the meeting platform will be accessible through the end of this year. (We’re still accepting new registrations through the end of the year, too.) This new format brought a valuable alternative to in-person meetings. Chief among the benefits is the easy access to so much scholarship.

Read more: Your Hard Work Rewarded: The Scholarship Continues on GSA’s Meeting Platform

As we countdown to the kickoff of the live portion of the 2020 GSA Annual Scientific Meeting on Wednesday, November 4, please be sure to select which of the Presenter Discussions you wish to attend and “favorite” them so they will appear in your customized daily schedule.

There are multiple ways to explore the Presenter Discussion schedule; we encourage you to visit the Presenter Discussion tile on the meeting home page to view the full schedule.

Read more: New: Engage in GSA Meeting Presenter Discussions (Live Q&A with Speakers)

As the GSA 2020 Annual Scientific Meeting Online approaches, there are three important dates to mark on your calendars.

Read more: Three Key Dates to Remember

The transformed GSA Annual Scientific Meeting experience is underway. Although the official dates of the meeting are November 4 to 7, our pre-conference events have been unfolding throughout the month of October.

We’re only halfway through. There is still time to connect and engage through a host of events.

Read more: Take Advantage of GSA 2020 Pre-Conference Events — Sign up Now!

On September 9, I had the honor of representing GSA at a preconference workshop panel titled “New Normal for Higher Education: Understanding and Embracing an Aging Society,” which was part of Drexel University’s Annual Assessment Conference.

I applaud the Drexel community for embracing this increasingly important topic. The program introduced participants to national trends and best practices in creating an age-diverse and age-inclusive campus that will prepare graduates for success in the 21st century. I was joined by GSA members Nancy Morrow-Howell, PhD, MSW, FGSA, Laura N. Gitlin, PhD, FGSA, FAAN, and Rose Ann DiMaria-Ghalili, PhD, RN, FASPEN, FAAN, FGSA.

Read more: Building the Case for Age-Inclusivity in Higher Education